Brush with retractable bristles



Oct. 25, 1949.,

H. c. PlfEPER BRUSH WITH RETRACTABLE BRISTLES Filed June 9, 1945 2Shets-Sheet 1 Oct. 25, 1949., c, P 2,486263 BRUSH WITH RETRACTABLEBRISTLES I Filed-June 9, 1945 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 25, 1949UNITEDASTATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRUSH WITH RETRACTABLE BRISTLES Herman C. Pieper, St. Louis, Mo.

Application June 9, 1945, Serial No. 598,561

6Claims. (01.15-203) The invention relates to brushes in which thebristles may be projected and retracted, and is partlcularly adapted fora hair brush to be carried in a pocket, purse or bag although theinvention is not limited to such brushes.

One object of the invention is to closely surround each tuft of bristleswith a portion of the brush body so that the bristles may be firmlysupported transversely of their length during a brushing operation.

Another object is to provide for the divergence of the bristle tuftswhen they are projected from the body, thus increasing the effectiveoverall surface of the ends of the projected tufts over the surface ofthe body from which they are projected.

Another object is to provide for such divergence or spreading of thebristle tufts in one plane while effecting the projection and retractionby movement of the inner or anchored ends of the tufts in another plane.

Another object is to effectively anchor and guide the bristle tufts tothe brush body and associated parts.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the inv-ention Figure 1 is aside elevation, sectioned in part, of a brush showing the tufts ofbristles projected.

Figure 2 is a top view of the brush with a part broken away to moreclearly illustrate the construction.

Figure 3 is an end view of the brush looking towards the left hand endin the Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through the brush showingthe bristles retracted.

Figure 5 is an isometric view of the tuft mounting member movable alongthe inner face of the back, of the brush.

Figures6 and Tare elevations of a single bristle tuft and its socket,the two views being at right angles to each other.

Figure 8 is an end view corresponding to Figure .3 but showing anotherform of the invention.

Figure 9 is a top view of a segment of the structure shown in Figure 8.

Figures 10, 11 and 12- are elevational views of a bristle tuft and itssocket as shown in Figures 8 and 9 and are taken upon the correspondingview-indicating lines of Figure 9.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary isometric view illus- Figure 16 is a verticaltransverse section 2 f through the connections between the bristlesockets and the member to which they are attached in anothermodification.

Figure 1'7 is a top view of the member to which shown 5. The axes of theapertures are inclined to the surface of wall 3 and preferably eachaperture is elongated longitudinally of the body so that the tuft as awhole may be inclined longitudinally of wall 3, without bending, asshown in Figure 4, or may be perpendicular to, or radial of, wall 3,without bending, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

The bristles of each tuft 5 are seated in a socket 6 which is pivoted toan individual lug 1 struck up from a mountin plate member 8 which isslidable longitudinally of the body back wall 9. The sides of plate 8may be received in grooves provided therefor in the body side walls III.A pin H, secured to plate 8, may project through a slot in back wall 9.The slot extends lengthwise of a wall and this arrangement provides formanual sliding of plate 8 longitudinally of the I brush body.

Preferably each aperture 4 is adapted to receive a single bristle tuftand so surrounds the tuft that it affords support for the bristleslongitudinally and transversely of the brush whether the bristles areretracted, as shown in Figure '4,

"(Figure 3), the distance between adjacent apertures transversely of thebrush being greater than the distance between corresponding lugs 1.Hence, when plate 8 is moved to the left from the position shown inFigure 4 and tufts 5 are pro-: jected from wall3, tufts adjacent to eachother transversely of the brush will diverge outwardly, as best shown inFigure 3. This provides the outer ends of the brush (bristles) with alarger overall area than the brush body and, since the outer ends oftufts So at the sides of the brush are positioned outwardly from thebrush body side walls 10, the brush may be rolled during the strokeaccommodating the variation in the angle between the user's arm and thestrand of hair, thus making the action of the brush more con,- venientthan if the tufts are straight and parallel.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 1-7, all of the tuft sockets orbases 6 are the same and each has a flat ear l3 disposed in the samelongitudinal plane as the axis of the brush. The mounting plate lugs lare inclined at various angles to the plate to provide the desiredmounting of the diverging tufts and ears l3 and lugs l are pivotallyconnected and bear flatly on each other and the tuft swings in theinclined plane of the lug as the tufts are projected and retracted.

Figures 8-12 illustrate another form of the invention in which the brushbody is. substantially the same as that previously described and thetuft mounting plate 2| is similarly mounted in the body but its lugs 22are all perpendicular to the plate and the desired position of. thetufts 23 is efiected by inclining the ears 24 on the sockets 25according to the angles which it is desired the tufts are to assume.Those tufts which are disposed perpendicularly along the median line iplate, 31, and the tuft structure 32 and the connection of the same tothe base by sockets 33, having ears pivoted to lugs 34 on plate 3 l aresubstantially the same as shown in Figures 1-7, but

intermediate plate 3|, and front wall 35 there is Provided a series ofguide plate devices 38 each extending from side to side of the brush andprovided with pintles 31 by which the plate is pivoted in the brush sidewalls 38. Each plate 36 has a plurality of cylindrical passageways, 39through which the tuft extends.

When the tufts are projected, and retracted, plates 36 swing on theirpintles 3.1 to accommodate the angular movement of the tufts.Irrespective of the position of the tufts, they are closely surroundedby passageways 3e and are more firmly positioned.

These figures illustrate a variation in the tuft socket structure inthat each socket is, provided with a pair of cars 33a which receives thecorresponding mounting plate lug 34 between them, thus placing thepivot. pin. double shear and providing a more stable connection betweenthe tuft and the mounting plate.

Figures 16-18 illustrate another arrangement of the connection betweenthe socket d9 of each Wit 4.1 and a, mounting plate 42 whichcorresponds, generally to the mounting plates previously described. Themounting plate has a series of spherical cups 63 each slotted asindicated at H, the slots being disposed at different angles to theplate. Each tuft socket has a ball-like car 46 adapted to be received ina cup 43. The inclination of the tuft is determined by the angulardisposition of the slot M which receives the neck 1 by which ball 46 isconnected to socket 40* It will be understood that any of the tuftsocket and backing plate connections may be used in either form of theprojecting and retracting structures andrif desired, more than one typeof 4 connection may be used in the same brush for different tuftsockets.

All forms of the invention have the common feature of adapting a, seriesof tufts for radial projection from the brush body as the mounting plateis slid transversely of the length of the tufts, and the feature ofproviding an individual aperture for the tuft which tends to hold thetuft more firmly in its position and to remove lint orothermaterialadhering to the tuft as it is retracted.

The details of the structure may be varied other than as described andillustrated without departing from the spirit of the invention, and theexclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of theclaims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

I. In a brush of the class described, an elongated hollow body having awall, a member slidable longitudinally of said body and spaced from saidwall, a plurality of tufts of bristles having connections to saidmember, said wall being provided with a corresponding plurality ofapertures receiving said tufts, adjacent apertures being spaced aparttransversely of the body a greater distance than adjacent connectionsbetween the corresponding tufts and said member, whereby the tuftsdisposed transversely of the body rela tive to each other divergeoutwardly as they are projected from the body by the movement of saidmember to bring the connections beneath the corresponding apertures.

2.. In a brush of the class described, a hollow, relatively long andshallow body having opposed walls, a plate slidable along an inside faceof one of said walls and having upstanding lugs, spaced aparttransversely of the body and inclined to each other transversely of thedirection of the. sliding movement of the plate, the opposite wall ofthe body having apertures, and tufts of bristles each having anindividual base pivoted to a respective one of said lugs to swing in thegeneral plane of the lug and at an angle to. the adjacent tufts and thetufts being movable longitudinally .3 of their length through theapertures as the plate is slid lengthwise of the body.

3. In a brush of the class described, a hollow, relatively long andshallow body, a plate slidable along an inside face of one elongatedwall of the body and having upstanding lugs, the opposite wall of thebody having apertures, adjacent apertures being spaced aparttransversely of the body a. greater distance than adjacent lugs, andtufts of bristles each having an individual base with an ea pi o d a rec i e onev of aid lugs. an a h tu e ng re ed n an ndividua one of sai aertures and bei g mo able ngi u nal y of its'length through itsrespective aperture as the plate is slid lengthwise of the body wherebythe tufts disposed transversely of the body relative to each otherdiverge outwardly as they are projected from the body.

4. In a brush of the class described, a body, a member slidably mountedin the body, a plurality of bristle tufts having pivotal connections tosaid member, and a device extending transversely of the tufts and havingpivotal connections to the body and embracing portions of the tuftsspaced from said member, said tufts being movable lengthwise relative tosaid device as said member is slid in said body.

5. In a brush of the class described, a hollow relatively long andshallow body having elongated front and back walls. said front wallhaving transversely spaced apertures, a member movable lengthwise of thebody in a direction substantially parallel to said front wall, and tuftsof bristles secured to said member and received in said apertures andspaced apart transversely of the body a less distance than associatedapertures and projected through said apertures at different angles toeach other, but in a common general direction away from said back wall,as said member is moved in one direction, and retracted through saidapertures as the member is moved in the opposite direction.

6. In a brush of the class described, a body, a member movable relativeto said body, a plurality of bristle tufts having pivotal connections tosaid member, and a device extending transversely of said body and tuftsand mounted for pivotal movement relative to said body, said devicehaving apertures spaced apart transversely of said body and openinglongitudinally of said tufts and receiving portions of said tufts spacedfrom said member, said tufts being movable lengthwise relative to saiddevice and said device pivoting relative to said body to accommodate theinclination of said tufts as said member is moved relative to said body.

HERMAN C. PIEPER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 162,749 Holmes May 4, 1875361,502 Gibson Apr. 19, 1887 15 1,189,698 Keating -1 July 4, 19162,128,822 Home Aug. 30, 1938 2,159,432 Enns Apr. 23, 1939 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 54,534 Germany 1890 140,487 Austria Feb. 11,1935

